Vlad and the Fuhrer stood there like that for a long time. The Vampire Alchemist couldn't tell just how long it was, to be precise. Bradley was thinking. Contemplating his options. That was all that was obvious; any of the specifics were hidden to him. At long last, the blade lowered and was quickly sheathed.
"You had best choose your words carefully in the future, Vlad. It would have been unfortunate had you been killed over a misunderstanding like this."
Sweet relief. He was safe, at the least. But the Fuhrer was not done.
"Go out there and join the others in the search. You will follow your orders exactly as given, absolutely none of your usual... deviations. If you do this consistently, then perhaps in the future a meeting with Dr. Marcoh will be arranged. Dismissed, Vampire."
Fuhrer King Bradley turned his back on Vlad, expecting him to leave as ordered. Nothing more was going to be said.
[hr]
Kallu saw the inside of the room. It was sterile and white, like every hospital room in the city. The window on the far side was open, blowing a gentle breeze into the room. There was only a single bed at the moment, and laying on it was Corporal Kendrall. He was looking out the window until Stone called his name, at which point his head shot around. Even at this distance, the stress on his face was visible. Kimblee's words had a lasting effect on him, much more than their relatively benign nature would suggest. That said, Victor tried to force a smile at the sight of his comrade.
"Oh! Uh, h-hi, Major. Come on in."
As Kallu walked over and sat down, Victor started talking as best he could. "So, um, has the Fuhrer given us our new assignment yet? I-I was hoping to be out of here in time to, er, help."
[hr]
Ken had been walking down the street for only a minute or two when something caught his eye. Up to his right, something moved across the rooftops in a flash. He couldn't help but look up, but it was already gone. Whatever it was, the glimpse he got showed him it was much larger than a bird or a cat. A man, possibly?
[hr]
The woman hadn't gone far, Leo managed to catch up to her rather quickly. She turned around to see him, and to his surprise a faint smile was now on her lips. "Oh, hello." she said in a cool tone. "You're the man that was performing back there, right? May I say I'm a fan?"
[hr]
The robed figure turned around very slowly, his hands raised just slightly above his shoulders to prove he was unarmed. As he came face to face with him, James got a better look at his features. The nose and chin matched the photo exactly, and the eyes from before almost guaranteed that he was him. The part that was most coincidental about this meeting, however, was that apparently both individuals were familiar with each other.
"Projecting!" Amaud gasped. James prepared for anything, be it a circle to heat the area on his arm, or a bullet hidden in his throat, or a jackknife in his boot. He had none of those things.
Instead of any of that, he clapped.
Amaud dove to the ground, alchemical energy arcing off in every direction as his hands made contact with the ground. James tried to fire a round, but before he could manage anything the entire earth below them was sparking with that same blue energy, and a wall at least twelve feet high erupted from the ground, blocking his shots and keeping Amaud out of sight.
Behind the wall, James could hear frantic breaths and an oddly-paced sound of boots hitting pavement as his target ran. On the bright side, apparently the limp had not been faked. But he was low on time if he was going to catch up with Octivir.
[hr]
The man tending the bar at the moment was a burly, dark-skinned man with sideburns stretching out nearly as far as his ears did. He glared down at Anton, and grunted in acknowledgment. He ducked under the counter, coming up with a shot glass and a bottle of the stuff, pouring a little glass for the soldier. He slid the shot glass over to Anton, and began the questioning.
"What brings a little soldier-boy to this part of town? We've got nothing, and the only crime you'll ever be able to pin down on these guys is bein' ugly."
[hr]
As Marlin watched, an alley off in the direction of the river running through East City caught his attention. Three individuals broke off from a large crowd and ducked inside. None of them matched the description of his target, but all three looked particularly suspicious. Each of them wore a green bandana wrapped around one of their limbs.
It would be a deviation from his orders, but there was no way in hell those men were up to any good.
